The Application of Virtue
by theotherthompson
Summary: AU. Sequel of Life Lessons and Fall From Grace. At fourteen, Tsuna thinks he understands the world. At twenty five, Diachi thinks he's seen it all. They're both wrong, and life is gearing up to show them just how much. But learning and applying; that's what life is about.
1. Humility

**Author's Note: ** _**Still completely fantastical. **_I couldn't help but write this, sorry everyone who wants more of Peregrine Blues._**  
**_

**Author:** C.S. Thompson

**Summary: **AU. Third in the series All the Angels and Saints, sequel of Life Lessons and Fall From Grace. At fourteen, Tsuna thinks he understands the world. At twenty five, Diachi thinks he's seen it all. They're both wrong, and life is gearing up to show them just how much. But learning and applying; that's what life is about.

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Violence. Swearing. Crime. Death. Some OOC characters from the manga and OCs. Mentions of drugs. Politics.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! in any shape or form. I am not making any money out of this fanfiction. I do own all original characters mentioned, though. Quote below is by William Shakespeare.

~ ' * ' ~

**The Application of Virtue - Prologue:**

**Humility, Long Since Earned  
**

~ So our virtues lie in the interpretation of the time. ~

_''... this is a mess,''  
_

~ ' * ' ~

vir·tue [vur-choo] noun

1. moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.

2. conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.

3. chastity; virginity: to lose one's virtue.

4. a particular moral excellence.

5. a good or admirable quality or property: the virtue of knowing one's weaknesses.

- X -

**Prologue:**

**Humility, Long Since Earned**

A young boy frowns from where he sat at the very back of the room.

He's ignored by the adults who are mingling together closer to the front, but he doesn't pay it any mind. He would have loved just go home now, as he didn't know a single person personally, aside from his parents. In fact, he would rather have stayed home, but that would have been rude. That didn't change the fact that he is bored, though.

He sighs, shifting in his seat as he watches his parents go up to a man with a somber look on his face. The man they are talking to is none other than Tachibana Daichi, he notices, but he pays little attention to them. His parents had come to pay their respect to the deceased, and Tachibana was technically that person's family, in a way.

". . . had a good heart," he hears one of the other guests say. The boy turns his attention towards the small group, eavesdropping on their conversation without seeming too obvious about it. His parents had said that it is a good skill to have, being able to gather information inconspicuously, that is.

He watches in the corner of his eye as an old man with graying hair sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Far too kind to have died like that. This is a mess." he says tiredly. His companion nods empathetically, glancing at the front of the church with a mournful look. The young boy's eyes flick to the front, taking in the white flowers he recognized as chrysanthemums and orchids surrounding a picture in a black frame. From where he sat, he could only make out blond hair in the photo.

"- worried about the boss," he heard when he tunes back into the conversation.

The door to the church creaks open just as the old man finishes his sentence. Everyone's heads swivel to glare at the disturbance, but stop when they see who had entered. A blond man and another, nondescript man comes in quietly, the former holding in his hand a purple flower with what looked like a star in its center, along with three other orchids. The guests continue their conversations, though a few give the man thinly veiled looks of irritation for coming in late. The blond one pays them no mind, instead walking up to Tachibana with silent and confident steps. The other black haired one stays at the entrance, but keeps an eye on his companion as he walks between the chairs. The young boy spots a tattoo just peeking out from underneath the blond's collar, and idly he wonders if getting that tattoo had hurt.

His parents have already left to talk to the other adults by the time the blond man is close enough to speak to Tachibana. The young boy cannot hear what they say to each other. All he sees are their lips moving and the soft expression of the supposedly powerful boss of the Tachibana-gumi. The blond man offers the flowers and it is taken by Tachibana, held in the same hand that held apricot blossoms and another white flower that he didn't recognize.

He stops paying attention when nothing else happens, instead sweeping his eyes across the room unhappily.

He blinks when an older person sits next to him with a heavy sigh.

"Hello?" he ventures after a moment of silence. The young man next to him gives him a tired smile. There's nothing special about this man from what he can see. He's wearing a black suit, just like everyone else, and has messy brown hair that looks like it could use a trim. His eyes are a kind, deep brown and the bags under his eyes a purple-y colour.

"Hello." the man greets him, and doesn't say anything else.

"... Why are you sitting next to me?" he asks after five minutes, a bit frustrated.

"Well, you looked a bit bored," the man replied. The boy almost snorts. Of course he is. He didn't see how this death would affect him. His parents weren't important, and he was in America until recently, far away from the people here and the drama that had occurred. He didn't have any personal ties to the deceased or the people mourning. The man frowns, tutting at him. The boy blinks, not aware that he had said what he had thought aloud.

They spend the next few minutes in silence before the man breaks it. "What's your name?" he asks, standing up.

The boy blinks, almost frowning as he answers him. "I'm Arata," he tells the man, taking the hand that's offered to him and following the man out to the gardens. "Who're you?"

The man chuckles, "I'm Tsuna." he answers. They walk in silence, Tsuna leading the way and Arata following like a little duckling. The garden is beautiful and tranquil, almost pleasant despite the fact that a someone is dead. The weather didn't seem to care, either. The sun is out and there are only a few, fluffy white clouds spotting the blue sky. The older man slows down, and Arata peers around him to see a koi pond, complete with lily pads and dragon flies.

The older of the two sits down heavily on the stone bench at the edge of the pond, patting the seat next to him in an obvious invitation. Arata sits down next to Tsuna curiously, peering up at his face. The other doesn't look at him, instead staring down into the still water contemplatively.

"Why don't I tell you a story?"

- X -

**AN Note:** Part one is coming up soon.


	2. Temper, Diligence and Patience

**Author's Note: ** Part one. Part two still needs to be written, and I have a ton of school. So, enjoy this chapter because I may not post the next one for quite some time. I haven't given up on Peregrine Blues, either, if your wondering. I just decided to take a break from writing it. I wrote a dream sequence, which has so much symbolism that no one besides me will get, but meh._  
_

**Author:** C.S. Thompson

**Summary: **AU. Third in the series All the Angels and Saints, sequel of Life Lessons and Fall From Grace. At fourteen, Tsuna thinks he understands the world. At twenty five, Diachi thinks he's seen it all. They're both wrong, and life is gearing up to show them just how much. But learning and applying; that's what life is about.

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Violence. Swearing. Crime. Death. Some OOC characters from the manga and OCs. Mentions of drugs. Bad attempts at politics. SO BAD.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! in any shape or form. I am not making any money out of this fanfiction. I do own all original characters mentioned, though. Quote below is by William Shakespeare.

~ ' * ' ~

**The Application of Virtue - Part One:**

**Temper, My Darling. Diligence, My Son. Patience, My Dear.  
**

~ So our virtues lie in the interpretation of the time. ~

_'Daichi and Tsuna don't know half of it,'  
_

~ ' * ' ~

Daichi first meets Tsuna's father through a pixelated screen. Sort of.

He sets a meeting when Iemitsu calls, but when he tells the others they tie him up before he can even go the meeting place (_the abandoned warehouse by the docks that the Tachibana-gumi have long ago claimed as theirs-_). There are yells, frantic planning and a lot of running around for reasons that Daichi doesn't quite get. The meeting is like any other meeting between him and another boss. Both sides bring three men, no more, and they talk and negotiate. Sometimes the rules are broken, but it's not like Daichi hasn't broken them himself, as he always has some men crawling about the area.

So there is no need for such panic, in Daichi's opinion.

"Shut up, Daichi." Rikuo tells him, a serious look on his face. "Vongola's on of the biggest mafia families in the Western world- we don't know what limits they'll go to," he explains.

Daichi almost sighs in exasperation, but he knows that Rikuo has a point. He feels a bit sick when he remembers that the man who Rikuo had just casually implied would kill him is Tsuna's father, and despite knowing that Iemitsu has not talked to his son in years, Daichi still feels conflicted. This is about family, and a part of him wondered if he truly had any right to keep Tsuna away from that man.

Daichi watches as an emergency meeting is pulled up, where they debate and plan without him because _he's too attached to make a decision_. And Daichi knows that they're just worried about him and don't want him going off and nearly getting killed- again. It's heartwarming, in this startlingly distant kind of way. Which brings to mind his recent worries and no, he really shouldn't be thinking about this right now.

In the end they decide that one of the Pride would go out and meet the Young Lion in place of Daichi, along with some of their best fighters. They would also have all the CCTV cameras in and around the warehouse running. And once they have ascertained that the Vongola representatives won't try anything, Tsuna would be escorted in by Daichi and Mamoru to meet his father. What happened from then on depended entirely on Tsuna's decisions.

Daichi is almost surprised that they would let Tsuna and him go, but then he remembers that he hadn't exactly hid his almost extreme loyalty to family.

The plan goes off without a hitch. Rikuo goes in, along with Tetsuya and their best close combat fighter, Yuusuke. Daichi watches through a computer screen in a nearby safe house as they greet each other guardedly. He watches as Rikuo asks questions and talks. He's always been good at reconnaissance, Daichi muses as Rikuo finally nods and leads Iemitsu and the baby hitman into the backroom. Rikuo makes a hand gesture before he goes in- and that is the signal.

Tsuna, Daichi and Mamoru are piled into a car and driven to the warehouse.

They arrive quickly and are led to the backroom. Daichi approves of Rikuo's planning; while it would be hard for them to fight in an enclosed space, it would be just as hard for the Vongola to fight too. Well, it wouldn't be that hard to fight, he supposed. Between Yuusuke, Tetsuya and Daichi himself they've got it covered. Rikuo could also fight, albeit awkwardly, with his guns up close.

Daichi knocks on the door, not even waiting a moment before he walks into the room, Tsuna following him close behind.

Rikuo greets them with an easygoing smile, but Daichi doesn't miss the hard look in his eye and he wonders what had happened in the brief several minutes that he was not in front of the computer. He greets Iemitsu and Reborn politely as he sits down in the spot Tetsuya gestures to, noting that despite his presence, his guests both are watching Tsuna carefully.

Daichi takes a moment to look at his guests. He looks at Iemitsu first, taking in the blond hair, a few shades lighter than Rikuo's and the set of his shoulders. He looks into Iemitsu's eyes to see what they hold. They hold a steady warmth and a distinctive determination, those eyes were the kind of eyes that belonged to someone that people would follow. Daichi looks into Iemitsu's eyes and sees the bright sun.

And Daichi couldn't help but think that if only this man was not involved with the mafia, Tsuna would be at home this very moment having a proper childhood.

He studies Reborn next, noting the impeccable posture, the pristine suit, the confidence and poise he held himself with. This is not an ordinary baby, and it would be best if Daichi remembers that when dealing with this ma- baby. Reborn looks up as if he felt Daichi's eyes on him and smirks, holding Daichi's gaze. Reborn's eyes were a lot different from Iemitsu's, Daichi notes. Reborn's hold a cold warmth in them, like a distant star. Look, but you can never touch. As if in answer to the challenge that Daichi can see in the ma- baby's eyes, the smouldering warmth inside of him grew into an all consuming inferno.

_Let's see what you've got_, those obsidian eyes seem to say.

Daichi is not one to back down from a challenge, so he looks straight into Reborn's eyes thinking the words,_ Right back at cha_. In the back of his head he wonders if he's been spending too much time with Tetsuya if he's resorting to slang.

When he looks back at Reborn, there is a spark of amusement in his eyes, but nothing else.

"Let's get down to business then," he says then, and he really does hope that things will go well.

They don't.

- X -

Tsuna meets his father in a not-so abandoned warehouse for the first time in years.

He is thrilled that his father has finally come home, sort of. A part of him feels angry and another wishes that Iemitsu did not come to Namimori, and he hates both parts of him with a passion. But he also does not want to forgive this man for what he has done to his mother. He knows that perhaps he should make a compromise with himself, but he cannot seem to do it, and his emotions continue to run rampant as he enters the backroom after Daichi.

When he walks in, he pauses at the door because despite seeing the two Vongola representatives through the cameras, seeing them in person is a different thing entirely, never mind that one of them is his father. The tall blonde one he recognizes as his father. He recognizes the sharp features and eyes, but he does not truly recognize the man. It is like seeing a person on the street that you saw in pictures, but never knew.

But Tsuna does recognize the air around Iemitsu. It is the same aura that Daichi tends to exude when he is in what Tsuna likes to call 'boss-mode'.

The other man- or rather, baby, is not someone that Tsuna knows. Apparently, Reborn, this baby, is the world's best hitman, and is allied to the same Italian mafia group that his father is in. Strangely, Reborn does not look like a killer, even though Tsuna knows he is one, he does not look unordinary at all, really, once you get past the suit. He does not look anything like a hitman, and maybe that is what makes him so offputting to Tsuna.

And, Tsuna realizes as he sits down on Daichi's left, the farthest he can get form Reborn without leaving Daichi's side (Mamoru stays standing next to him), he does not have an aura like everyone else in the room. Rikuo has a confident air about him. Tetsuya has a serious air about him when they're doing business. Even Yuusuke has a dangerous aura. But Reborn . . . Tsuna could glean nothing from the baby hitman. Not even when he stared straight into his eyes. Maybe Daichi could, he has had plenty of experience in judging a man's worth, Tsuna is sure.

"Let's get down to business then," Diachi says, sitting up straight and tall.

"Right," his father responds, and things go downhill from there.

He knows that how this meeting will end, and probably the future too, depends entirely on his choice. He is given one, but it does not truly seem like one to him, not really. There is a lot of fancy words in this meeting, lots of sound excuses, lots of rebukes and negotiations and haggling and at times thinly veiled threats. Daichi stands firm in his belief that Tsuna gets to choose, but Iemitsu stands firm in his belief that Tsuna would join him regardless. In the end, it boils down to two options for Tsuna.

Join Vongola and leave the family that he had pledged himself to, or stay and weather through hardships with the people he loved and possibly get them killed.

He hates his father all the more for forcing this upon him. There was never a choice.

Tsuna stays, because the Tachibana-gumi is the family he has lost one already, and Vongola is the family he has never known.

- X -

Rikuo is the most distracting person that Daichi knows.

Similarly, the rest of the Pride are the most distracting bastards that Daichi has ever had the pleasure of leading.

"Alright, you idiots, get off my fucking lawn." Daichi says with a scowl. The Pride is having a barbecue in the gardens for reasons that Daichi cannot fathom. They don't get off his lawn when he snaps at them, though. Instead they just smile smugly at him and shove a hotdog into his hands. He's very confused as to what the heck is going on, but for now he'll just grumble and bare with it. This hasn't been the first time they decided to say 'fuck you, you need a break bossman'. Just not in so many words, of course.

Daichi sighs, but sits down on one of the numerous picnic blankets laid across the admittedly large yard and eats his food.

He watches his family have fun, and decides that he can't begrudge them this small thing. He thinks that maybe he has gotten soft, because there's a warm feeling in his gut as he takes in the laughter and smiles. But then he remembers that this may be the last they do something as simple as be here altogether for a long while, what with the Vongola breathing down their backs.

Both sides are preparing, and Daichi doesn't quite know what he's preparing for, but he'll damn well gather as much firepower as he can.

He'll have to talk to his allies, ask them if they would be willing to join him on crusade. Three yakuza groups would join him for sure, he knows, but there are two others that like to avoid conflict and another that is more likely to attack the Tachibana-gumi _and_ the Vongola, just because they hate conflicts enough to try and beat down both opponents. There's also another two families that are on the fence, he'll have to talk to them soon. Even if it's just to ask them to stay out of the fight.

He knows that Vongola has a few alliances with some of the groups in Japan, and Daichi needs to ask around to ascertain who he needs to avoid or squash early in the game. He also needs to make sure there are no spies in his family, just in case. It hurts to think that someone would betray him, but it's not an impossibility, and Daichi can't leave that to chance. He'll have to ask Hanako to weed out the spies. Tetsuya will have to go to the branches to explain the situation and help them prepare.

Rikuo... Rikuo will stay close to home, no doubt. It's an unspoken rule that Daichi has to have at least one of his three 'generals' with him. So that means that Rikuo will be with him during the meetings with the other yakuza groups, and that may be a good thing. Rikuo has always been good at reconnaissance, he'd be able to help Daichi during the talks.

Daichi would also have to brush up on the laws of Japan and maybe Italy. Just in case. He didn't want the Tachibana's front as a drug corporation to go down the drain because the Vongola decided to aim below the belt. Most of the Tachibana-gumi's funds came from that (_sixty eight percent-_). He'd have to warn the CEO, Watanabe Fumiko, about everything. To expect attacks on the company and possibly get rid of as much incriminating evidence as possible. Daichi won't have to do much, just drop a few words and she'll take care of the rest. Fumiko is a good businesswoman, and Daichi is thankful that he managed to find her and gain her loyalty.

Daichi sighs and takes another bite from his hot dog, which is already cold in his hands. The party has quieted down, and now everyone is in small groups, chatting together light heartedly. Tetsuya sits down next to him as Daichi watches the Pride, a frown on his face. "You're brooding 'gain," he comments.

Daichi almost rolls his eyes, but shrugs instead. Tetsuya heaves out a put-upon sigh, slouching down.

"You know that we won't give Tsuna up without a fight. _You know_." Daichi hates it when Tetsuya is the one to comfort him instead of Rikuo. Rikuo lets Daichi stew, says only a few words that sometimes seem nonsensical but calm him down nonetheless and leaves as soon as Daichi thinks about having some privacy. Tetsuya is the opposite. He pushes with truthful words and stays with Daichi until neither can take it anymore and Daichi snaps at him. But sometimes Daichi needs that, for the situation, the problem, to be shoved in his face before he can run.

But that doesn't mean he likes it.

"Dai-kun, you've gotta listen to me." Daichi winces at the nickname, one that Tetsuya had made during their younger years. "Remember what Riku-kun always says? Remember?" Tetsuya presses, bringing an arm around his shoulders when Daichi makes a move to leave.

Daichi purses his lips, and at this point, it means that he has had enough, but Tetsuya's not Rikuo and if Daichi doesn't say anything the other man will keep pressing until something gives. "'It'll be okay'," he quotes, then takes another bit of his food so he doesn't have to talk.

Tetsuya chuckles, squeezing Daichi with his arm. "Damn right it will," someone says behind them. Daichi recognizes the voice, and he turns to greet Rikuo with a strained smile. Rikuo shakes his head and sits down cross-legged next to him, snatching away Daichi's hotdog to take a bite of it. He makes a face, probably because it's cold, but swallows it down anyway. There's a rustle of clothes next to Tetsuya, and Daichi turns to see Hanako sit down primly. Tetsuya greets her with an enthusiastic 'hey honey!' and a friendly bump with his shoulder.

"I've already set a meeting with the Momokyokai group for tomorrow. They're small and sort of weak, but they've got the best information network I've seen." she says after a moment of silence.

"And I've already contacted some of the branch members. I need to do some research on Vongola and how the Italian mafia works before we can make any solid plans, but it's a start." Tetsuya jumps in. Daichi blinks.

"You want some books from the library don't you? Law and probably some books on culture and police reports on Vongola and their allies, right?" Rikuo says, his best shit-eating grin on his face as he flashes Tsuna's library card. Daichi almost splutters, settling instead for gaping.

"Daichi, honey, you're predictable to us." Hanako says with a fake sympathetic voice. Daichi laughs a bit, and maybe it's slightly hysterical, but its got feeling to it and right now that's enough for his friends. Tetsuya grabs all three of them with his long arms and sways a bit. It's a bastardized version of a group hug, and it manages to calm Daichi down enough that he relaxes.

"You see, Daichi?" Rikuo murmurs lowly as Tetsuya sways them all around with his superior strength. "It'll be okay."

"Bastards," Daichi complains, but there's a smile on his face now.

He has a busy week ahead of him.

- X -

Weeks have passed since the meeting.

Tsuna worries so much each day that at any moment his world is going to burn. He tries to act normally, but he notices how everyone seems tense. Like they were the months Grandpa was sick. It's a troubling comparison to Tsuna, but one that is far too accurate.

Tsuna is not stupid. He may be slow, sometimes, but he isn't stupid. He knows that everyone expects an attack. A war. They expect the worse and hope for the best. They tighten security and ensure the people under the protection know what's going on while going about like nothing is wrong. Tachibana-gumi is like that, Tsuna guesses. They want to hope, but their hope is half-hearted, but their will is like diamonds.

(Tsuna has never loved such a contradictory group like he does the Tachibana-gumi. Because their family.)

He notices, and in his own way, he helps. He makes sure to get home before dark. Completes his homework earlier than he needs to so he can practice self-defense with Mamoru, who is reluctant to teach him, but rarely ever says no. He keeps his eyes open and his ear to the ground. When he goes out, Mamoru and some member from the Pride is there with him. He helps Daichi read through books and reports and other texts in Italian, even though his Italian is rusty.

He worries so much that one day he will return from school to find everyone already mourning someone's death. His heart hammers in his chest whenever he opens the door of his home thinking _where is Daichi? Misaki? Hanako? _and the list of names never stops.

He worries that maybe he's being selfish, wanting to stay with the people who accepted him so unconditionally, even though it means their death. He worries if Daichi is regretting ever knocking on his door that day in November. He worries about his mother, alone at the house, staying up and wondering where her son has gone.

Tsuna worries and worries and he doesn't stop.

- X -

Daichi doesn't get Reborn.

Reborn is stronger, faster, smarter than Daichi. Daichi knows this with a certainty that he reserves for few, precious things. Reborn could easily take Tsuna, force him to learn what being part of the underground is all about, then tie him up and leave him to the wolves. The small baby-man can take whatever he wants, do whatever he pleases, but he doesn't.

Daichi has a sneaking suspicion that Reborn is the reason that, while Namimori is crawling with Vongola members and contacts, none of them have acted.

He doesn't know whether to be grateful or terrified.

He settles on confused when he finds Reborn sitting on the other side of his desk one school day with a serious look on his face. It seems that after months of tailing them, Reborn has decided that the Tachibana-gumi is better as an ally than an enemy. So there may be negotiations. In the near future- with the boss coming over. Possibly.

Well, fuck, Daichi thinks, feeling all of the tension shoot out of his body and tipping his head back to rest on the back of his chair. Stupid move on his part, showing his neck to a wolf in sheep's clothing, but if Reborn wanted him dead, Daichi would _be_ dead.

This is all unofficial, of course, because Tsuna needs protection while he learns the ropes (_and they _still_ having fucking given up on Tsuna-_), protection that Vongola cannot provide without announcing to every goddamn person out there that Tsuna is the heir. They need eyes in Japan. They need more than they want to destroy Daichi.

This isn't even close to the end, Daichi knows. But if it means that his men don't have to look at every person on the streets and think _do I have to kill them?_ then he's taking it.

But the real issue, the only reason this ceasefire is even being considered, is that Vindice has had a prison-break. And Vongola's intelligence says that the mastermind behind it all may be in Japan by the end of the month.

_Fuck this shit,_ Daichi thinks, trying not to panic when Reborn says that he's going to have to step up Tsuna's training himself as he sits on Daichi's freaking shoulder. _Fuck this shit so much. And i_f for a moment he thinks back to the days his sister kneeled by her bed and muttered prayers and thinks, _God, help me,_ no one has to know.

The ceasefire is surprisingly anticlimactic, but Daichi will take whatever he can get.

- X -

When Tsuna first meets Mukuro, it is on a regular afternoon, one with a popsicle in his hand and the other looking up at the sky with a blank expression.

When they first meet there are words exchanged, cryptic and hinting towards something larger. Looks are exchanged, stories held in narrowed-wide eyes, questions asked in quirked-furrowed eyebrows, messages said in the set of their lips and prayers in gentle exhales and quiet sighs and low murmurs that the other could not hear.

When Tsuna first meets Mukuro, neither are what the other expects.

And maybe that is what stays Mukuro's hand, just a bit longer, just enough that Tsuna can survive another day, be without a new scar a day longer.

This is their first meeting in a world that both have known to be cruel since their youth. This is Mukuro's first time meeting Tsuna, who can understand Mukuro's need for revenge, and this is Tsuna's first time meeting Mukuro, who is starting to realize that this lifetime could be different.

Mukuro wants something, but he's not sure what. Tsuna wants something, and he knows what it is.

There's something new starting- for both of them.

(Daichi only realizes who Mukuro is two months after the fact.)

- X -

It's raining when Daichi, Rikuo, Tsuna, Mamoru and Reborn (Rikuo doesn't even want to think about that fucking monkey) step outside a restaurant and Tsuna pales so much that Rikuo thinks that Tsuna may have died of fright.

"What's wrong?" he asks, checking Tsuna's temperature. He's a bit cold, but that's expected with this weather. Reborn is sitting casually on Tsuna's head, not even looking down at the boy, but the fedora is shadowing his face so Rikuo doesn't have a clue what the baby is thinking. Daichi pauses mid-sentence from where he's asking for someone to pick them up.

Mamoru frowns, taking a step closer to Tsuna and putting a gentle hand on the other teen's elbow. "I- I just had a really bad feeling," Tsuna mumbles, his big, brown eyes darting back and forth. Daichi narrows his eyes, wrapping up his conversation with a few curt words, putting away his phone in the inner pocket of his black coat, and Rikuo know what that means.

Daichi thinks that someone might be attacking.

Rikuo adjusts his posture, acting casual as he keeps his hands close to his guns. Reborn catches on, or he already knew, because Leon, that shape-changing chameleon of his, is in his hands already, being petted and looking pretty happy about it.

Mamoru, to his credit, notices the change in the atmosphere only moments later and keeps his composure. And also makes a hand signal to notify the everyone else of the man walking down the street their way.

Rikuo remembers the attacks on Tsuna's school mates, how the news mentioned the kidnapping of a little boy- a boy that Reborn has told them has been retrieved by some of Vongola's men- and he wonders if it's all connected.

Fuck, who is he kidding? Of course it's connected.

Rikuo can't see much of the man, thanks to the umbrella, but he sees flashes of white and a tall, lean figure with a confident, unhurried gait. When the man is finally level with them, Rikuo realizes it's not a man, but a boy. A teenager with white messy hair and a purple bruise under his left eye. It doesn't matter if he's young, Rikuo thinks. Daichi killed when he was eighteen, and Daichi only killed because he had to. (Not that Rikuo is much better.)

The teenager gives them an almost secretive smile, sparing them only a glance before walking past them without a word. He almost bumps into Daichi on his way past, having not even bothered to sidestep the unmoving figure that is Rikuo's boss and friend.

He cannot help it if his feet move a little forward when that happens. But Daichi doesn't even blink, still staring the way the stranger came from as if he didn't notice the guy's existence. Not a word is said the whole time.

Rikuo only lets himself relax when the car pulls up.

- X -

Some people would look at Byakuran and call him an angel if they ever saw his wings.

Some people would look at Daichi and scream if they saw him after a fight with a rival family.

People never look deeper if they didn't have to, were not prompted to. They look and judge you by how your appearance, and sometimes never try to understand the whys.

Daichi is a son of a bitch with issues. He doesn't understand feelings, sometimes doesn't understand his own. He's possessive and has trouble just _being_. When he hates and regrets, he just doesn't stop. He loves too much and too deeply that it almost doesn't feel like love, borders on jealousy and hate and a burning feeling in his lungs.

Byakuran is a son of a bitch with issues. He wants the world, wants power and to sit at the top of the world and laugh because nothing could stop him. He's cheerful, ready to joke around and loves marshmallows but hates and hurts others as easily as he breaths. He knows what love is, he knows what hate is, and he can, will, and does know everything under the sun.

Tsuna isn't a son of a bitch, but he has issues. He's afraid of being abandoned, has a breathtakingly low self-esteem and confidence and needs a bit of extra tutoring before he can actually get his schoolwork. He loves so freely that his adoptive brother is surprised each time Tsuna picks up a new stray and still treats everyone with the same amount of affection. He earns the loyalty of people with a few words and a warm, genuine smile. He's ready to sacrifice, but isn't ready to let go.

If someone were to try and guess which category each would fall in, Daichi would be the demon with a past that makes others pity him, Tsuna would be the human that deserves what good comes to him, and Byakuran would be the angel, flying atop the world.

However, they would be wrong, because Daichi is only human. Probably one of the best examples of the extremities of what people could do to protect. Tsuna is human, yes, but he is just as ready to do what Daichi has done, even if he'll hate himself for it afterwards. Byakuran is just another person, except he has had better luck than most. Or maybe worse luck, with how he became.

They're all people, and people kill people in the end.

- X -

Mukuro is strange.

This is what Tsuna knows, and maybe doesn't really. Mukuro is strange, eloquent but sometimes making no sense at all. Mamoru doesn't like him, but Hibari doesn't, Yamamoto doesn't and Tsuna doesn't really, either.

Mukuro is strange and unnerving and scary, but nothing can change that so Tsuna just lets it go.

He's not sure how Mukuro and he even became uneasy acquaintances, but now that they are, Tsuna can't stop himself from frowning at the other when he does something that isn't considered socially acceptable. Or at least Tsuna-acceptable.

But the other boy is trying to be better, sort of. Or is just doing his thing where Tsuna cannot see.

Mukuro does things that Tsuna doesn't understand the reason for. He would show up randomly and goad Mamoru and Yamamoto (who is almost always with them now, a nice change), and indirectly goad Hibari too, because he shows up a lot on school grounds when he's not a student and Hibari has a problem with people in general, so.

Sometimes Mukuro would just sit down and talk or listen. Sometimes he brings his friends Chikusa and Ken. Sometimes he wouldn't appear at all, but Tsuna had a feeling he was hanging around.

Reborn, on the other hand, is pretty horrible and amazing in turns and at once.

For a baby, he's surprisingly strong, agile and scarily smart. He terrifies Tsuna with a little green gun and dark eyes, and persuades Tsuna with a forked, silver tongue to do what he wants. He cares little for what others want, not above using another person's weakness to manipulate them. He helps Tsuna get through his school work more efficiently and correctly than ever before. He gives Tsuna the training to be stronger, faster, better, with only the words _go_ and _run_.

He stands up to Daichi about a farce of a meeting with some people from Norway and doesn't back down.

(Maybe that's what endears him to Tsuna. Stopping Daichi from doing something stupid, not with the words '_Vongola still needs you_' but '_Tsuna still needs you_'.)

Reborn gives Tsuna the power to protect and to destroy, and Tsuna can't help but be thankful for the chance.

Aside from those two appearing in his life, nothing much else has happened. Apart from the increased rate of crime, the murders connected to the underground that were hushed up, and a kidnapping attempt. But they are not new, so Tsuna continues to faces each day on at at time.

- X -

Varia.

Daichi wants to kill someone whenever he hears that name, and that should scare him but it doesn't, because his chest is burning and there's a pressure behind his eyes and he wants to howl.

They came to Japan like fucking ninjas, and Daichi should have expected that, really, because while they have a property destruction rate of ninety-five percent, they're still assassins. They're loud because they can be, because they're that good. That's what scares him, because he knows that he can't take them on his own.

It doesn't matter if Reborn thinks that Tsuna could fight against them, could fight against a man that has more scars than Daichi's two hands that are riddled with history. It doesn't matter if Mamoru can probably give Tetsuya a run for his money if he's pushed hard enough. It doesn't matter that Tsuna's friends are preparing to fight a war with him, that Daichi's allies are readying themselves, that Vongola is trying to make it so that the only thing he has to worry about is their fucking assassination team.

These are kids and people who shouldn't have to be involved getting down and dirty because he's not strong enough, and isn't that like a knee in the chest after Morino?

Daichi doesn't like hating, doesn't like regretting, but that name is making is making him feel like a kid again, when his heart was vulnerable and he didn't know how to put up walls of ice around it yet. When people left his life like the words 'exit stage left' are overrated, leaving bitter memories and another jagged piece to the puzzle that made him.

He almost regrets ringing the bell on the Sawada residence, nearly regrets putting his sapphire necklace around his neck and is probably on his way to regretting living past twenty five, but he doesn't. Because Daichi can't do that. Can't think that letting Tsuna into his life was a bad move, that Tsuna was a bad move. Can't because that's not the way Daichi is, how he works. He won't let himself regret anything because he can't afford the grief and what-ifs.

He almost lets himself hate Vongola, the name Varia and the people who decided that they would bring Tsuna into the underground world more than he already is and let him break. He almost does because he loves Tsuna and his love is something hard to earn and harder still to stop. He stops himself because like his love, his hate is something that just won't go away. Stays for years and years to fester in the back of his mind, on his nerves. He stops himself because he's tired of the rage and distrust tinting his every thought.

When he hears the news from Reborn that Varia is coming to Namimori in a few months, because they've decided to let everyone squirm a little while they kill some people that have managed to earn their ire, he nods, listens and waits patiently for Reborn to get out of his office.

When Reborn leaves he gets up, takes a deep breath. Then he throws his chair into the wall opposite of him with a loud yell and growls. Growls out obscenities like he has never before. He could have stopped himself, could have kept it bottled up the frustration and rage, because now people will worry. But he doesn't.

Because after a decade of this shit, Daichi has learned that sometimes it's better to let go. He knows that if he doesn't say anything about his tantrum, no one else will. Because they know how he is. They know that some things Daichi wants to keep to himself, some things he will carry to the end of the world and keep to himself even longer still.

Because this is his moment of weakness, and his alone.

- X -

Virtue.

The word brings to mind so many things, so many actions and feelings and images.

Tsuna thinks of protecting others when he hears the word. The ability to help those he loves and the power of letting those who protect him be protected instead. He thinks of helping others and forgiving and peace and orange stones glinting under the light.

Daichi thinks of priests and clergymen, volunteers and charity workers, the ones who put themselves on the front lines against society and the world to help others. He doesn't think of himself as virtuous, if anything he avoids the thought.

But there are many types of virtue, many types of help, of servitude and gratitude and loves and hates. Daichi and Tsuna don't know half of it, but maybe one day they'll know the differences.

- X -

Mamoru has been a constant in Tsuna's life for one and a half years now.

Without Mamoru, Tsuna has a feeling that he would be a lot more lost, a lot more lonely, a bit more broken. Without Mamoru, Tsuna feels that he would not feel complete, because without Mamoru, what is Tsuna?

It's not romantic in the slightest. Mamoru is his brother and his friend, his protector and confidant and someone to protect with all his will and care for with all his heart. He doesn't get why some people talk like he and Mamoru are an item, when they are anything but.

Rikuo sort of gets it. "You two are best friends, with an epic bromance and all that, it happens," Rikuo says, grinning.

Tsuna shakes his head, explains as best as he can that really he doesn't know how to categorize Mamoru, because Mamoru is everything and only a few select things at the same time. Rikuo laughs, not unkindly, midway through and finishes Tsuna's jumbled sentences.

"-you feel like he's a part of you, like he's the biggest gear in the machine and every tiny screw."

Rikuo grins as Tsuna takes a sip of his green tea, then continues as if he can read his mind.

"You feel like he can be everything you need, and already is everything you want. You two may not be an item, but you probably can be- can be the best duo out there- if you wanted. And sometimes, sometimes you don't even need to look at the elephant in the room, but you two deal with it anyway, right?"

And even if Rikuo doesn't make sense some days, Tsuna can understand him this time, in this vague way.

"Exactly," he says, and Rikuo laughs, muttering something along the lines of history repeating itself with a strange look in his eyes.

There should be something to read in between those lines, but Tsuna lets it go with another exhale and sip of his tea. The world is complicated and there are many things to be learned, but the little things are what Tsuna understands best. He knows that sometimes, feelings can be twisted and pure and intense in ways that most people can't describe, and trying to describe it somehow makes it seem cheaper.

He also knows that sometimes, some relationships can span through decades because they're made like that. He knows that 'soul mate' is a romanticized word, because meeting someone who truly is your soul mate is like winning the lottery only to lose the money to your mother.

Mamoru and Tsuna are not soul mates, because the roles they fill can be filled by someone else, maybe never in the same way, but they can be. Maybe that's the part that leaves Tsuna speechless, because there's a chance that when he is old and gray, the person laughing next to him may not be Mamoru, and he could still be happy.

But that doesn't mean that they won't enjoy it while it lasts, won't cling onto their friendship as hard as they can with teeth and nails and all the strength they can conjure for as long as possible.

(Soul mates fill whatever role you need them to, and you fill every role they need to, and sometimes that means letting the other go.)

- X -

When the thing about flames that weren't just flames comes out, Tsuna can already wield them to a startling degree, considering that he had been training for only less than three months. But then again, he has always been pretty good with deadlines.

Equally startling is that Reborn offers to coach everyone else in releasing and using their flames. Or more like gives them teachers to push them until their momentum alone can leave you breathless.

Iemitsu is there, so are some of his men. Reborn and some of Tsuna's friends or acquaintances or schoolmates (Daichi's not sure what they are anymore, and that must make him a bad brother). They explain with examples, with rings and with stories passed on through generation by word of mouth.

Daichi is almost surprised about what flames there are. Rain, Mist, Cloud, Storm, Sun, Thunder and the Sky. He swallows when he finds out that Rikuo is a Rain attribute, that Tetsuya is the Storm and Hanako is the Sun. His hands shake when he realizes that Reborn and Iemitsu are Sun attributes and that Watanabe Fumiko, his CEO, is probably a Cloud attribute.

He trembles when he is told that both he and Tsuna are the sky.

The others worry as soon as Reborn calls him out on it. They worry because Daichi is pale and the fire in his eyes is only a spark and there's an uncertain look on his face. Daichi worries because he remembers the times where he has looked at people in the eye and though '_it's raining_', or '_I see lightning_', or '_there's a tempest in his eyes_'.

He knows that's unusual, tells them so. Tenses when Reborn looks at him with such considering eyes and Rikuo looks ready to shoot anyone that came too close.

But Tsuna is even more unusual. He has intuition that borders on precognition. And Daichi thinks the worst of himself being relieved, because he's not crazy. _He's not crazy_.

And it's just a bit alarming to realize that he's afraid of being broken.

- X -

Tsuna can use his flames, but Daichi can't.

No one is sure why. Daichi has the potential, he has the drive and the will and enough to lose if he doesn't learn how to use it by the time the Varia comes, but he can't.

Tsuna is worried, because Daichi seems to be getting even more stressed. He knows that Daichi wants to be able to fight, but if he doesn't master his flame, then Tsuna will help Rikuo tie Daichi down so that he won't try to protect everyone against people that he has no defense against.

Tsuna doesn't know when he became so determined to protect his family. No, scratch that, he knows exactly when. When he lost Mori, lost Grandpa, almost lost his mother. Tsuna doesn't want to lose anyone else. And he'll do a lot to make sure it doesn't happen again.

But he digresses.

Daichi has all the potential, but he can't use his Sky flame for whatever reason. He has passed through all the trainers and not one could make him use it, make him tap into that power. Tsuna can use his flame, is stronger with it, able to hold his own against Mamoru, now, and he made Rikuo trip up just three days ago.

Tsuna can use his flame, which means he can fight. And Tsuna has lost people, and he doesn't want to go through that again.

- X -

Daichi is not able to use his flames until after he's done something really stupid.

That stupid thing turns out to be ignoring Tsuna's bad feeling and bringing only three men, two of his Pride and one young man (his name is Toshi, and inside Daichi flinches) that had joined the Tachibana-gumi a few months ago to a meeting with some Italian family that Vongola couldn't get rid of, for reasons that they would not share with Daichi.

He doesn't bring Tetsuya, or Hanako, or even Rikuo, because Tetsuya had met a girl that he really liked and Hanako just got over a cold and Rikuo. Rikuo needed to talk to his own family. He brings only three people because the Tachibana-gumi and the Carcassa family had a _deal_. So he brings his group to the house- the meeting place- and the Carcassa brings their own. Daichi has ten other people waiting nearby, strategically placed around so that they appear to be normal people, because Daichi wasn't born yesterday.

They sit down and be civilized for about thirty minutes before everything goes downhill.

They mention wanting to buy the drugs his company makes to 'sell' them, he mentions that maybe this meeting should end, they took that as an insult and he tried to say no, it wasn't. They started shooting and hurt one Pride member, Yuusuke, and he threw his knife into the shooter's eye with an angry yell.

The fight is downright horrible, because those fuckers had several other people hiding nearby that had started fighting with his people when they heard the shots. But Daichi has his people with him and he will never give them up without a fight, not even to death, and he knows he needs to get everyone out.

Daichi never knows when to give up, and that is both a strength, a fault and a defining factor of his life.

- X -

Yuusuke's body hurts all over.

It hurts all over, but his leg hurts the most and there's blood bleeding out sluggishly, staining his pants something awful. In front of him he sees his boss standing protectively, and he's being supported by Toshi while Misaki is covering them with her gun. Daichi is talking furiously, his knives in his hand and Yuusuke can already spot a dead body by the boss' feet, bleeding out.

He hears fighting outside, which means that their backup is engaging the enemy, and that ultimately means that the four of them are stuck inside for a bit longer, until they can break out or something.

God, he hates it when meetings like this go tits up.

A man is standing on the other side of the dead boy, looking at Daichi with a furious look as he says things in mix of rapid Italian and broken Japanese. He's the leader of his band of merry men, Yuusuke realizes. And he's not happy, not at all. But Daichi isn't either. He has that look in his eyes again, the one that he always gets when he's thinking 'fuck politics', and decides to do something stupid or brilliant or both.

Yuusuke really hopes that it's the second one.

"Let us out, Carcassa, these negotiation are going nowhere," Daichi hisses. The knife in his right hand shifts in a subtle threat, glinting under the little light. The man before them calls Daichi something in his mother tongue, something that makes Misaki, their translator (not that the Carcassa knows that), growl warningly.

The man babbles something, but Yuusuke doesn't listen, instead hisses as Toshi wraps his tie around the wound on his calf, but he catches a few key words, "-no, no, can't do that," before Misaki shoots the guy sneaking up from behind them.

Then Daichi launches himself at the man in front of him with an angry yowl.

The next few minutes are a blur, but Yuusuke remembers being ushered into a corner and providing cover for the others as they went into melee combat. He felt dizzy by the five minute mark, faint by the seventh. Toshi takes one look at him and shouts a warning to the others.

"Sir, we'll go through the back!" Misaki yells as she finishes off her opponent. Daichi snarls, throwing the man he was fighting into another one that was trying to stand up on a busted knee cap- Yuusuke's work, which he's pretty proud of, considering that he's never really liked fighting with guns.

"Go, go, go!" Daichi shouts, pulling out a smoke pellet that Hanako had given Daichi that morning. He throws it in front of him, hiding behind the thick smog that appears, throws one of his knives in the general direction of the leader and runs toward them in a few, fluid movements. Misaki drags him up and through the hall, Daichi manhandling Toshi into running behind them.

Halfway down the hall, there's an explosion big enough make everything tremble outside. Toshi is the only one that covers his ears, but everyone else are already breaking their way into a room to their right, even as Yuusuka spots the fire in the corner of his eyes. There's one unguarded window big enough for them to escape through, and even if they're on the second floor it was pretty stupid of the Carcassa to leave alone. Their gain, Yuusuke, supposes, limping after Misaki.

Toshi helps Daichi fortify the door with the old, broken furniture lined up against the wall while Misaki shatter the glass with her foot. Yuusuke helps her break some more of the glass off for safer passage before peeking out cautiously.

He hears the sound of a brutal fight nearby, but he can't see anyone. The ledge that runs along the house is a foot beneath the window, just thick enough for a person to walk across, if they're very, very careful. A few meters to his right, there is a tree tall enough to use as a way down, but they would have to jump to get to the thick branch extending outwards.

Well, it wasn't like this job was ever safe, anyway.

Misaki goes first, so she would be able to catch Yuusuke. Once she's safely across, Yuusuka goes next, being extra careful with his limp and practically hugging the wall. There's a scare when a wave of dizziness overtakes him just as he jumps, but Misaki catches him and they make their way down the tree to give Toshi and Daichi room.

Toshi goes next, because he's younger, less experienced, lighter and Daichi just operates like that. Yuusuke can hear the loud thumps against the barricaded door even from down where he is, and in a panic, Misaki leaves him by the stump of the tree, a gun in his hand, to see where their people are and maybe get help.

That's a mistake, Yuusuke can tell from the look on Daichi's face as he almost runs across the ledge, almost slipping twice. Daichi jumps across the gap between the house and the tree, pushing off against the wall to add more momentum. He still almost doesn't make the jump, but Toshi is there to catch Daichi and the two are scrambling down.

Only as he watches the two get down does Yuusuke realize that his boss is hurt. There is an angry bruise across his face, but he's also favoring his right leg and his left arm.

There's a loud noise just as their feet touch the soil, and Yuusuke curses himself for taking his eyes of the window. He raises his gun to the window, but it's already too late, and the someone from the window is shooting at them. Yuusuke ducks when the wood splinters next to his face, Toshi and Daichi already moving around the tree for cover.

Daichi pauses in front of Yuusuke, hauling him up and pushing him into Toshi. Toshi drags him behind the tree while Daichi backs up, shooting at the window with the gun he wrenched out of Yuusuke's hands.

He manages to shoot the man in the window, but another one just takes his place, and this one had better aim.

Daichi yelps as a bullet grazes his right arm, moving behind the tree with them.

There's a shout in Japanese, a loud curse that would have had Yuusuke's mother wielding soap like a weapon, but he feels a rush of relief when he hears it, because he could recognize that obnoxious voice anywhere. Rikuo, that showy ass with amazing aim.

"Up in the window!" Toshi yells at the member of the Tachibana-gumi that are running to their rescue. Rikuo signals to two people, who run across the narrow strip of yard and take cover behind the crates piled there. They shoot the enemy in under two minutes between the two of them, and there's angry yelling from inside the room.

They take that moment to run for safety, with Toshi and Daichi supporting Yuusuke on either side.

There's a bang and just as they're turning around the corner of another pile of crates- who the hell has this many crates, anyway?- and loud Italian behind them. Daichi turns around, shoving Toshi and Yuusuke behind the crates and brings his gun up. The two men providing cover are also turning around to face the new threat, but everyone is already too late.

Yuusuke sees it in slow motion, dizzy and black spots all over his vision, but he still sees it as if the scene has been burned into his retinas. There are two gunshots and Daichi's eyes widen in surprise, the gun that he's bringing up to aim falling out of his hand. Both hands fly to his chest as Daichi takes a step back with an aborted groan, hunching in on himself, and when he pulls them away there's red on his hands.

There's another shot, one from Rikuo, Yuusuke thinks as he lunges to catch a falling Daichi, ignoring the burn in his leg and twinges of pain in his arms.

- X -

"My name is Watanabe Fumiko," the tall woman says, shaking Tsuna's hand. Her hands are big and warm, but her face is pinched in exhaustion and she has tired bags under her brown eyes. Her black hair is tied in a messy bun and her suit is wrinkled from sitting so long on the plastic seats in the private clinic.

"You haven't met me, but I certainly know you," she continues, and then tells him each and every injury Daichi has, his chances and what he had done to get those injuries.

- X -

Tsuna doesn't like fire, in all actuality.

He likes the feeling of the sun on his back, a warm cup in his hands and the smell of tea and honey in the air. He likes the quiet companionship of Mori and the steady presence of Daichi and the laughter of Yamamoto and the nonsensical babbles of Rikuo.

He likes being able to smile, to be affectionate and breath out with a sense of content.

He doesn't like fire, really, and he hates hospitals and sickness. He hates that Daichi is in a clinic, still asleep after having the bullet in his chest taken out.

It reminds him of the last few memories of Grandpa Tsuna has left, when he would sing in different tongues like he had known them all his life. Except this time Daichi is the pale form in front of him, and this time he's going to live. And it must be cruel of Tsuna to think that Daichi might miraculously, because Tetsuya, Rikuo and Hanako are waiting at the compound for Daichi and so many others are, too. Cruel to himself, too, because Tsuna hasn't left Daichi's bedside for two days, and he's not sure if he's ruining himself with such thoughts because he always thinks like this.

Mamoru puts a hand on his shoulder, doesn't say anything when Tsuna buries his face into his stomach, doesn't comment that despite Tsuna shaky breaths there are no tears.

Tsuna has forgotten that people can still be taken away from smaller things, like blood loss and illnesses and accidents. (He probably won't do that again.)

The Varia are still coming, though, and Tsuna needs a few more people to join him on his quest to protect.

Mukuro is a good start.

- X -

Daichi sprawls across the cracked, white marble floor. He lies there silently, breathing quietly through his nose as he stares up at the inky black sky. Beneath him the floor is smooth, the cold seeping through his white singlet so completely that he might have as well be shirtless.

Nothing looks familiar, but instead of panicking Daichi stays where he is, letting the cold seep into his body, through his shirt, his slacks. He lets his mind wander in circles and twisted routes, images flickering in his mind like hummingbirds in spring.

In the black sky above him, there are no stars. Only a full moon hanging limply, lonely and silent. On it's surface, Daichi sees his life reflected with each thought.

(_His mother's face is hard, but her eyes are wet. Akiyoshi with a smile, his face becoming wrinkled like he is in a time lapse video before his eyes glaze over, stilling in a peaceful look. Miki, an orange amber-sapphire necklace around her neck standing next to her caged pet canary, a forlorn look on her face. Rikuo, sunglasses on and standing on top of a stack of crates and aiming his guns, a crazy grin on his face. A knife in his hand, cutting through skin that isn't his and small, little scars appearing on his own hands anyway. Hanako talking to Fumiko and Misaki, a scowl on her face as she glared at the two other laughing women. Tetsuya, standing straight in front of the enemy with the whole Pride behind him that one time Daichi and Rikuo were both successfully kidnapped. Tsuna and Mamoru and a few of their friends, doing their homework in Tsuna's room. A blue necklace, heavy around his own neck. His heart breaking slowly for twenty years before finally everything felt numb. Reborn, with black, endless stars as eyes and a come hither smirk. Red on black and asphalt. Mori, his last heartbreak, his face framed by dry, black hair and a tempest behind him. So much, so many things-_)

Daichi thinks of his life, each year, every memory as it flickers on and off the moon's surface, like a movie with no sound, a movie with no script and a lot of uncertainty and improvisation.

Tachibana Daichi's life is not happy, nor is it miserable, he realizes. It's a mix of words said in actions and subtle movements, words said and not said at all, faces and smiles and frowns, blood and sweat, tears and laughter, feelings expressed and feelings repressed.

Beneath him the marble is cracking underneath the flat of his palm, warming quickly, rapidly starting to burn to the touch, but nothing hurts but his chest.

His chest is burning, and Daichi desperately wants it to stop.

(_He wants everything to stop hurting and being complicated. He hates how he represses everything because otherwise he might break. He hates the idea that he can break, be broken, maybe already is. He regrets ever deciding to be everything that he can be, because it's so hard to be good when you're already bad._

_He wants life to be simple. He wants to life to stay as is and never change. He wants Tsuna to stay and never leave him. He wants the heartbreak to stop, but he wants the heartbreak to start if it means being able to love. He wants to sit down and breath and not worry. He wants- he wishes-_)

Daichi wishes he was the moon.

And with that, the marble finally breaks apart, letting Daichi plummet below, and below him he feels fire licking at his body, but he doesn't scream, never has and never will, and the last thing he sees is inky black bleeding into orange and an empty, pale orb above his head.

_He wakes up to the steady beep of a heart monitor to his left and Tsuna, face tucked into his arms and fast asleep, on his right._

_A rush of fondness floods him and leaves him breathless, the words _oh no_ on his lips and a taunting _beepbeepbeep _echoing in the room._

- X -

The thing about ice is that it melts with time, and the walls around Daichi's heart are no different.

- X -

"You're the biggest idiot ever," Tsuna mumbles in Daichi's shoulder. Daichi chuckles, but winces.

"Sorry,"


End file.
